Abstract
Libidibia ferrea var. ferrea is a plant used popularly in Brazil in the treatment of diabetes, inflammation, wounds in general and bronchopulmonary disorders. The aim of this study was to characterize the chemical composition of extracts from Libidibia ferrea var. ferrea leaves collected from Vale do Catimbau in Caatinga region and to evaluate the antibacterial potential. Extracts of leaves were prepared using solvents of various polarities in order to extract a wide range of phytochemicals. Thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were used to determine the chemical constituents of extracts and fractions. The antibacterial activity of these extracts was evaluated by micro-dilution assay, against Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) as well as Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus vulgaris) bacteria. Phytochemical analysis of crude extracts from L. ferrea revealed presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, cinnamic derivates, terpenes and tannins. Generally, the cyclohexane (LFCH), chloroform (LFCF) and ethyl acetate (LFEA) extracts demonstrated the best activities, exhibiting the highest average activity for all pathogens. Of these, LFCH was the most active with MIC ranging from 0.39 mg/mL to 12.5 mg/mL. From this, LFCH was submitted to chromatography process and four fractions were obtained with antimicrobial potential. The results obtained for the fractions were lower than the ones obtained with the crude extract LFCH. Some other notable activity was observed for the chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts against Staphylococcus aureus with an MIC values of 0.19 mg/mL and 0.39 mg/mL respectively. The GC–MS analysis revealed that the major compound present in the cyclohexane extract was heptacosane. In conclusion, Libidibia ferrea var. ferrea leaves extracts have antibacterial potential which can inhibit in vitro growth of human pathogens being as a promising tool for phytotherapy.
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